Visitor Voices: A Promising Practice in Sharing Perspectives of Museum Visitors with Disabilities

The Visitor Voices session at the 2015 American Alliance of Museums Annual Expo highlighted the practice of listening to perspectives and access stories from museum visitors who have disabilities such as vision impairments, hearing loss, and autism.

The conference session identified four major areas in which museums might face challenges in creating accessibility: communication, environment, collections, and social opportunities. Visitor Voices shared stories from individuals with disabilities about what they need from informal STEM learning programs during their visits and the importance of accessible offerings. Visitor Voices also shared examples from museums that have challenges and increased inclusion as a result.

The Visitor Voices conference session is considered a promising practice in accessible informal STEM learning because it highlights the importance and efficacy of including individuals with disabilities in conversations about access.

For more information on increasing the accessibility of informal STEM learning programs, visit the Access Informal STEM Learning (AccessISL) website.